1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cargo securing systems, and more particularly, a pickup trunk.
It can be difficult for pickup truck owners or van owners to place cargo, such as groceries, luggage, or coolers, in the back of their truck or van and drive off without the cargo shifting around. When people arrive at their destination, they have to open the tailgate, crawl into the bed, and retrieve their scattered items. This can be a hassle, time consuming, and highly inconvenient. Additionally, the truck bed or the cargo can become damaged as a result. An effective solution is necessary.
The pickup trunk provides people with an easy and convenient way to keep cargo in the back portion of a pickup truck bed, closest to the tailgate, for easy access and retrieval. The present invention is an adjustable holder that spans the width of the pickup truck bed from side to side. Pickup truck owners can place items, such as groceries, coolers, luggage, or equipment, into the holder and then drive without having to worry about the items shifting all over the back of the truck. When unloading, they may simply open the tailgate and grab the items. The pickup trunk is ideal for van owners as well.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for cargo restraining systems for vehicles have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,962, issued on Feb. 4, 1997, to Schlachter teaches a removable security trunk for a motor vehicle such as a station wagon, van or sport-utility type vehicle having a relatively large rear access opening with a width less than the width between the sidewalls or trim panels of a rear cargo compartment in the vehicle. The security trunk includes opposed longitudinally extending support members which may be secured to the compartment sidewalls for supporting a generally horizontally extending top panel for sliding movement into and out of the vehicle rear access opening at the reduced width portion. One or more vertically extending fore and aft partitions extend between the top panel and the compartment support deck for providing multiple storage compartments and for supporting the top panel. The partitions may be disconnected from the top panel whereby three generally planar members may be easily stored in or out of the vehicle. An alternate embodiment comprises vertical sidewall support members and a floor member secured to a generally horizontal top panel whereby a somewhat box-like enclosure may be inserted in and removed from the vehicle cargo compartment while providing, in its working position, a security closure to prevent viewing or access to articles in the vehicle cargo compartment except through a liftgate, tailgate or rear doors.
A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,271, issued on Feb. 11, 1997, to Janowski et al. teaches an easy to use cargo restraining barrier device designed to keep items in a cargo area from moving around. The cargo restraining barrier is comprised of a vertical wall having peripheral flanges to hold and restrain packages. The flanges are provided with Velcro hook-type material to securely grip carpeting in a cargo storage area such as the trunk of a car. The flanges surrounding the vertical wall on the cargo restraining barrier also includes spikes, and are constructed to use the shape and weight of packages, boxes, food items or other items to hold the barriers in position. In the preferred embodiment the vertical wall and flanges are of a molded hollow plastic construction allowing multiple cargo restraining barriers to be stacked for storage. Optional embodiments provide hinged sections that fold to provide a vertical wall and flanges, and when unfolded, lie flat for storage.
A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2003,0206782, published on Nov. 6, 2003, to Toglia teaches an easy to use cargo restraining barrier device designed to keep fragile or spillable items in a vehicle's trunk or cargo area from sliding or tipping during transport. This versatile device is comprised of a length of flexible material of any cross-sectional shape that will fit snuggly against cargo and restrain it from undesirable movement. This barrier device is placed in position by the user to restrain cargo and is secured to trunk or cargo area carpet via Velcro hook-type pads bonded at intervals to the barrier's underside. The versatility of this device is derived from its flexible construction and its ability to conform to the various shapes of cargo items which is a distinct advantage over prior art. The simplicity of construction of this device offers potential economic advantages in cost to manufacture over prior art.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2006/0022479, published on Feb. 2, 2006, to Mulvihill et al. teaches an integrated storage system for vehicles which includes an expandable container secured to and extendable from a vertical panel of the vehicle to at least one predetermined position to accommodate cargo. The container is collapsible so that it is substantially flush with the vertical panel when not in use and may be made of fabric or netting, for example. A semi-rigid end panel with a handle may be secured to the container to facilitate deploying and stowing the container. Depending on the application, the container may be removable from the vehicle to transport cargo. The storage system may be integrated into various locations including a cargo area, behind a seat or seats, in a truck bed, or in the trunk of a vehicle, for example.
A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2010/0270821, published on Oct. 28, 2010, to Ulita teaches a vehicle trunk compartment cargo management system that is comprised of a trunk floor panel, a seatback and a pair of dividers. The trunk floor panel provides a vehicle trunk compartment floor surface. The seatback has a pair of pockets. Each pocket secures a seatback flange extending from a divider oriented in an upright position. Each divider has a seatback flange which fits within a seatback pocket to secure the divider in an upright position to the seatback. The dividers are pivotally attached to the trunk floor panel such that they may pivot between an upright position and a horizontally closed position. When the dividers are locked into an upright position they form three sub compartments within the vehicle trunk compartment. An optional cargo net fits over the dividers to cover the sub compartments.
It is apparent now that numerous innovations for cargo restraining systems for vehicles have been provided in the prior art that are adequate for various purposes. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, accordingly, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.